Alapag helps Texters level semis series
ACKNOWLEDGED as Talk ‘ N Text’s certified leader, Jimmy Alapag isn’t used to moving behind the scenes.
The reigning Most Valuable Player popped out from the background in Game 6 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal with Petron Blaze and keyed a victory that kept the title-retention bid of the Tropang Texters on track.
Alapag scattered 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in the outburst, helping the defending champion force a best-ofseven decider tomorrow and earning for himself the Accel-pba Press Corps Player of the Week honors for Jan. 9 to 15.
“This is still our championship and it’s ours until somebody takes it away,” said Alapag after leading TNT to a 111-108 win that evened up the series for the second and final time.
Plagued by injuries for most of the conference, Alapag wasn’t his usual lethal self in the first four games of the semis before capping a five-point performance in Game 5 with a crucial triple, 44 seconds left.
That shot inspired a rennaissance of sorts for the 5-foot-9 Alapag, whose exploits have pushed TNT to possibly become only the third team in league history to complete a turnaround from a 1-3 series deficit.
“The last two games exemplified his value,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
MELBOURNE—ROGER Federer showed no sign of back trouble as he cruised into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday with a 7-5 6-2 6-2 victory over qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev.
Rafael Nadal’s troublesome left shoulder and Kim Clijsters’ sore left hip also passed their first major tests.
The 30-year-old Swiss, who withdrew during the leadup Qatar Open after suffering back pain, was at his clinical best, blasting winners from all angles as he wrapped up the match in 98 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
The 2010 champion, bidding to extend his men’s record to 17 grand slams, traded baselines punches with his 172nd-ranked opponent early before landing a sublime backhand winner down the line to seal the first set and seize the initiative.
Kudryavtsev drew a rare scowl from Federer, however, when he won a furious baseline skirmish to break the Swiss’s serve and claw back to 3-2 in the third set.
But the 26-year-old rued clipping a net